MGT 435 Week 5 Final Paper: Kotter’s Approach to Organizational Change within AT&T

MGT.435 Week 5 Discussion Question 1 – Partnerships: View the Malcolm Gladwell video, Malcolm Gladwell on Innovation, about today’s customers desiring partnerships. How does employee empowerment aid in building partnerships between companies and their customers? Describe why the structure of an Agile Organization might meet the goal of empowerment and partnership. Provide an example from your experience as an employee or customer. Construct your answer from the theories you’ve learned. Review several of your peers’ posts. Compare your experiences with at least two peers and identify lessons you can apply in your future work.

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MGT.435 Week 5 Discussion Question 2 – Organizational Learning: Evaluate the four traits of organizational learning. Provide examples of how learning and change can impact one another.

MGT 435 Week 5 Quiz (Questions & Answers)

1. Question: Which of the following is a typical quality of an agile organization?
2. Question: Which of the following statements about mental models is FALSE?
3. Question: Because of a special project, Khalib is asked to be part of a temporary group that is made up of individuals from marketing, customer service, engineering, and product development. The team has never worked together before, and will be dissolved once their work on this project is finished. This group would most likely be described as a(n)_______________.
4. Question: What does the clothing manufacturer Zara do that qualifies it as an agile organization?
5. Question: Which of the following is TRUE of an organization with a flattened layer of management?
6. Question: Respondents of a survey conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership ranked which of the following traits low in terms of being important for successful leadership?
7. Question: At which of Woolner’s (1995) five stages to becoming a learning organization does learning become a part of an organization’s day-to-day activities?
8. Question: How did Cisco address company-wide communication issues that were hindering its performance?
9. Question: Which of Woolner’s (1995) five stages to becoming a learning organization applies primarily to start-ups?

Question: One key virtue of a learning organization is to _________________.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Kotter’s Approach to Organizational Change

Introduction

Change is inevitable, and it’s not just about the external pressures of change. It’s also about our internal mindset, which should be able to accept new ideas and adapt to them. This often involves overcoming resistance. As John Kotter explains in his famous eight-step process for managing organizational change, there are several ways that individuals can resist new ideas: by denying them reality; by attacking anyone who expresses these ideas; or by shutting down any discussion altogether (which can lead to groupthink). However an organization decides how best handle resistance—through dialogue or through force—it needs to be prepared for when things go wrong:

Create urgency

Creating urgency is a key step in the Kotter model. It involves identifying the reasons why people are resistant to change, and then addressing those concerns. For example, if you have a group of employees who are concerned that their jobs will be lost if they change how they do things at work, then you can address this by showing them that some changes won’t affect them directly. You might also show them how much money or time other departments spend on changing their processes and systems—and then ask why it’s important for IT departments to adopt new software or hardware tools too.

If there aren’t any specific issues preventing employees from accepting new ways of working together (for example, no one’s been fired), then creating urgency means encouraging everyone involved in the process—from top management down through all levels of leadership—to commit fully before moving forward with any significant changes

Form a powerful coalition

Kotter’s advice is to form a powerful coalition. This means that you need a group of people who are committed to the change and have diverse perspectives on it. You also need a group of people who are respected by others, have influence in your organization, and are not afraid of conflict.

If you can find these types of people, then it will be easier for you to implement Kotter’s approach because there will be less resistance from other groups within your organization or outside the organization as well (if necessary).

Create a vision

Creating a vision is the first step in creating organizational change. It’s what allows you to go from being stuck in the past and doing things exactly as they have always been done, to seeing yourself as an organization that acts differently and better than what you are now.

A vision is a clear and compelling picture of the future—a goal for your organization that inspires people, motivates them and guides them toward achieving it. The best visions are inspirational; they make people want to be part of something bigger than themselves: whether it’s improving their health or making an impact on society at large (or both!). They also need direction: What do we want our new direction to look like? How do we get there from here? And why should anyone care about this?

In order for your team members/internal stakeholders (i

Communicate the vision

Organizational change is a process that involves communicating the vision to key stakeholders, including employees and customers. It’s also important to share your vision with investors or other external parties who may be involved in the project.

Empower others to act on the vision

Empowerment is a key step in the change process because it allows people to act on the vision. Empowerment is also important because it helps you build trust with your employees and gain their support for change.

To empower others, you must give them the tools and resources they need to succeed: training, coaching and mentoring programs that promote growth mindset; collaboration tools such as shared calendars or project management software; opportunities for peer learning outside of work (e.g., conferences); flexibility around work hours or location (e.g., telecommuting).

Plan for and create short-term wins

When you’re starting out on a new project, it’s important to set goals that are realistic and attainable. You should have a clear idea of what you want your organization to do before getting started with the process of change.

For example:

• If your goal is “get people healthier,” then it’s important that you define who those people are and why they need healthful habits. This will help ensure that any solutions developed are relevant and effective for all of them (not just one person).

• Once these questions have been answered, decide how much time or money this new system would require in order for it work effectively without causing problems down the road—and don’t worry about other people’s ideas! By focusing on what matters most here (like how much time), we can avoid wasting time trying out other solutions when there may only be room for one solution at best.”

Consolidate improvements and produce still more change

As you gain experience in this new way of working, your organization will likely begin to see some improvements. You may also discover that other people are using these same methods and creating their own changes. If so, congratulations! This is great—you’re on the right track! But don’t be surprised if your effort seems like it’s not enough: people will often say their team doesn’t have time to make changes because they’re too busy doing what they were doing before.

Don’t get discouraged by this reaction; rather than trying harder just because someone told you “no,” try something different instead: ask for help! Instead of going through all the work yourself (which would probably take forever), ask others for help with whatever needs doing so that everyone can move forward together toward making progress at once.

Institutionalize new approaches

• Make sure everyone knows the new way of doing things.

• Make sure everyone knows the new way of doing things is permanent.

• Make sure everyone knows the new way of doing things has been agreed upon by management, and that they will be supported in carrying out their duties accordingly.

John Kotter’s eight-step process for managing change.

John Kotter’s eight-step process for managing change is a great way to get started. It’s important to note that this approach is not a magic bullet and can be hard work. But if you follow the steps, you’ll find yourself making progress toward your goal of increased employee engagement and organizational effectiveness.

• Create Urgency

• Build Consensus Around Your Vision/Mission

• Identify Risks and Mitigations for Change 4) Build Coalitions 5) Communicate Your Vision 6 ) Empower Others 7 ) Keep Moving Forward

Conclusion

The change process is a complex one that Kotter calls “the 8-Step process”. It can be difficult to understand the steps involved in creating change, but by following them carefully and applying them in a systematic way, you can make sure your organization moves forward in the right direction.